I recently had a bad experience within a student teaching placement. I was already thinking about doing something similar to this concept but the recent event that i just went through makes me want to do it that much more. So here it is, the TOP 5 things that turn an ineffective teacher into an effective teacher.
#1: Trust- Normally, i think that this one would be a given, but i continue to be astonished at how often trust gets looked over. I think that it applies in more than one way throughout teaching. Obviously, it is absolutely crucial to earn that trust within your students. If your students do feel like they cant trust you, and that you have their best interest at heart, you might as well forget it. But another big part of that puzzle that i personally struggle with is having trust within myself. Especially if we are specifically talking about math. My abilities in math can be extremely scary when i think about it. I often am scared to really get far into the subject with students because i am afraid that i will get lost and confuse them even more. So i guess what i am boiling down here is that yes, it is very important for the teacher to develop the trust with the student but it's also just as if not more important for the teacher to be able to trust that they are a great teacher and have the ability to do some great learning.
#2:Time- Throughout my school experience i had the advantage of having teachers who probably would've stayed all night to help me if they had to and i had the advantage of having teachers who would barley give me the time of day. Although back then i absolutely did NOT view having those teachers as an advantage, i realize now that it was. My junior year in high school i had a teacher for honors English. He had a reputation around the school for being extremely mean and often embarrassing his students. Most kids avoided taking his class all together but some got stuck with him, like me. Throughout this class we had to read Shakespeare and all kinds of readings that were not the easiest to understand without some guidance. I, as well as all of my classmates, dreading going to that class every day because he would embarrass us all. He would randomly call on us to answer one of his questions and if we didn't have the "right" (in his mind) answer, he would call us out that we didn't read, or we don't get it etc. even when we were trying. If we were stuck, there was NO WAY we were going to go ask him a question. He would offer no support or be available if someone did muster up the courage to ask him a question. Basically, what he taught me is that i need to make myself available at all times for my students. I want them to feel like i care about their well being and to know that no matter what i will be their resource at anytime.
#3:Collaboration- I feel like this one is a big key to being an effective teacher. I think being a good teacher is like being a good comedian, don't let your material run dry! If the students have heard and seen this act a million times, they are going to tune out. I think its crucial to be able to get online or talk with peers in the school and see what other teachers are doing. There is something so awesome about seeing or hearing a good idea and being able to change it and make it better for your students. It also keep you as well as your students on your toes. the teacher wont get stuck in a rut of teaching the same way, and the students wont become bored and get stuck in a rut of learning the same way.
#4: Flexibility- With that being said, i believe that flexibility goes hand in hand with collaboration. Teachers need to be able to get a new idea a shot, bring it into their classroom, try it, if it works--> don't just leave it at that, think about a couple things: 1. How well did it go? 2. Is there a way that i can make changes for the activity to go any better? 3. Was each and EVERY student engaged or just some? If it doesn't work--> I would think about 1. Is there a "saving" this activity? 2. Should i just throw it out completely? There have been times where i had what i thought was the coolest lesson plan ever and it totally tanked with my students. I don't think that teachers should get too attached to the lessons and activities they do. I am not saying that if one is awesome you shouldn't use it again, i am just saying that even though it is awesome, could it be better? each time you use it, could it be better?
#5: Variety- I know that this is easier said than done, but it is important. Basically, each student learns a different way at a different pace in a different level. That means that as teachers, we should be able to teach in all those different ways. Back to my English teacher, he felt the only effective way to teach was to have us do the material, then quiz us on it in class. Look how that turned out, I hated the class,and i feel like i didn't learn anything.
After constructing all of these i realize that there is a big difference in effective teachers who make a difference and ineffective teachers who create problems. As a future teacher i want to be someone that studnets reamember